Sudesh Mahto

He played a decisive role in Jharkhand statehood movement. He notably declined an offer of ministry from Lalu Prasad Yadav^[1] and instead demanded a separate state of Jharkhand.^[2]

He is the President of AJSU Party and is popularly regarded as “Boss" by followers & “King Maker" by political pundits. His close associates include - Chandra Prakash Choudhary, Deosharan Bhagat, Praveen Prabhakar, Ram Chandra Sahis, Lambodar Mahto and Tiwari Mahto.

Sudesh Mahto has close ties with Narendra Modi^[3] and Amit Shah.^[4] He is also friends with MS Dhoni and is often seen on shared platforms^[5] playing cricket and football matches.^[6][7]

Mahto has four times represented Silli constituency in Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. He is famous for his Silli Model of development. He is also known for his women centric development at grassroot level.^[8]

To preserve the identity and history of Jharkhand, Mahto had announced to build a statue of Birsa Munda, known as the Statue of Ulgulan,^[9] and a statue of Jharkhand movement leader Binod Bihari Mahato, known as the Statue of Revolution. However, both projects are yet to be finalized.^[10]

He runs the Birsa Munda Archery Academy in Silli, which received the President's Award in 2016.^[11] The academy has produced accomplished archers, including Madhumita Kumari, who won a silver medal for India at the Asian Games.^[12]

^by-election